


Through The Looking Glass

by AXEe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Astra (Supergirl TV 2015) Lives, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 12:04:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13833915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: After helping Barry Allen save the world (again), Kara finds someone else who needs saving...





	1. Divergent Paths

******

**Earth One…**

The bar wasn’t too crowded, although Barry and his friends more than made up for it. Still, Kara was enjoying herself as she raised another glass and toasted Barry again. Throwing back the shot—which did nothing for her—she turned towards the bar and was about to signal for another when she heard an achingly familiar voice

“No, not tonight. Thanks though”

Whipping her head around, Kara searched for the speaker, seeing a tall woman with long dark hair and a streak of white in just slipping through the door

“Hey, Kara, you OK?” Barry asked, even as Kara tracked the woman’s progress down the street with her x-ray vision

Kara turned to him, blinking as she tried to get her brain back in working order. She didn’t have to go and follow the woman, lots of people on both Earths probably had a streak of white in their hair, no guarantee it could be the same one.

But still…if there was even the slightest chance that she could see her again…

“Sorry,” she shook her head “but, uh, do you guys mind if I take rain check on the drinks?”

Barry nodded, looking a little confused, but agreeable

“Yeah, sure,” he said “no problem”

Quickly making her excuses to the others, Kara quietly slipped out into the night air of Earth One’s National City. Finding a quiet corner, she quickly changed into her costume and took off, following the woman as discreetly as possible…

******

The woman led her on a merry chase down streets and back roads that Kara only vaguely recognized as similar to her National City, but finally, the woman entered an apartment building in a slightly-unsavory part of town. Kara doubted that people got mugged walking home, but it was probably the kind of neighborhood where most people made sure their doors were locked before going to bed.

Finding the woman’s apartment, Kara found a rooftop across the street and sat there for about an hour, watching. Finally, seeing a lack of movement, Kara found her nerve and flew over, finding that the window opened and had a broken lock, it looked like it had probably been broken for years.

Tensing, Kara gently slipped inside and glided over the floor and around the couch, stopping as she finally saw the woman up close

Astra In-Ze slept sprawled on the couch, one arm lazily dangling beside her, a photo album propped on her lap. Shaking herself off, Kara found herself reaching for the photo album, gently easing it out of Astra’s limp grip. Seeing that she was still asleep, Kara opened the album to the first page, frowning at the lone picture there.

She knew the picture well, both she and Alex each had a copy, the photo of herself, Alex, and Eliza and Jeremiah. But here, on Earth One, the photo was different. In this one, standing between Eliza and Jeremiah, one hand on each of the girls’ shoulders, was Astra, smiling somewhat puzzled at the camera.

Now curious, Kara turned the page, finding more similar-but-not-the-same photos, ones of just her and Astra, ones of just her and Alex, ones of Alex and Astra together, those ones it seemed took up most of the album, there was one with Alex and Astra standing shoulder-to-shoulder both grinning goofily at the camera while Alex held up two fingers behind Astra’s head.

Another that Kara recognized as Alex’s prom picture, but this time, instead of poor, sweaty-faced Myron, Alex stood besides Astra who was dressed in a neat tuxedo. Another one had a smiling Astra standing between both Kara and Alex in their caps and gowns as they proudly held up their diplomas, clearly having just graduated.

Another one featured Alex and Astra simply sitting together in what was clearly a candid shot as Kara leaned into frame, grinning and pointing to them, like she was letting the viewer in on some big secret.

The next had Kara freezing. It was a wedding photo, Alex and Astra both smiling at each as they each stood resplendent in white in front of a small trellis within what looked like a forest or other wooded area.

Kara blinked, turning to look at the still-sleeping not-her-aunt, recalling one night back home, one day to the year of Astra’s death, when Alex had been very, very drunk…

******

_“OK, come on” Kara shifted and, slinging Alex’s arm over her shoulders, guided her into her apartment_

_“You know what’s really fucked up?” Alex mumbled “I killed her, I killed Astra,” she shook her head “I did that”_

_“I know,” Kara nodded “and I told you, I forgive you”_

_Alex shook her head_

_“I think…I think I could’ve been friends with her, you know?” she slurred as Kara eased her down onto the bed “I think…I think…,” she trailed off, and for a moment, Kara thought she’d finally fallen asleep “Kara?” Alex sleepily blinked and looked up at her, looking so sad and heartbroken “I think I loved her” she whispered_

_“Loved who?” Kara asked gently, used to Alex’s drunken non-sequitur trains of thoughts_

_Alex shook her head_

_“Astra,” she slurred out “I think I loved her…”_

******

Kara shook her head, coming back to reality. When Alex had woken up, Kara had asked about it. Alex had denied having ever said anything, wolfed down a pot of coffee, and left, leaving Kara convinced that it was true, and the more that she thought about it, the sadder she got as she realized that, if circumstances had been different, Alex and Astra could have very easily been friends or even more.

Looking around the room, she realized that, in one version of the world at least, that had happened it seemed. Looking back down at the photo album still in her hands, she turned the page, finding a few more photographs of Alex and Astra’s married life. There were photos of them Other Kara and people that she didn’t recognize, presumably friends. There were photos of just the two of them, most looking like they were taken in a quick, candid moment by one or the other.

Turning the next page, Kara frowned as the photographs just…stopped, the rest of the album, at least ten more pages, were empty. Looking around, Kara x-rayed the apartment, finding it empty aside from her and Astra, there was no Other Alex.

Now Kara was confused and somewhat worried. Did they break up? Divorce?

“Kara?”

Gasping, she spun around, seeing that Astra was now sleepily sitting up and staring at her confused

“What are you doing here?” she asked. She frowned and looked Kara up and down, taking in the skirt, boots, and cape “and what in the world are you wearing?” she asked

“Uh…” Kara froze like the proverbial deer in the headlights as Astra stood up and calmly walked past her into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle from the counter, opening it, and taking a deep drink

“Did you have a costume party at the office or something?” she asked as she leaned against the counter, and as she did so, Kara suddenly noticed that she was wobbling unsteadily on her feet, like she couldn’t quite get her balance. Squinting, Kara focused on the bottle in Astra’s hand, seeing a set of alien symbols that she knew roughly translated to ‘whiskey’, which meant that there was probably an alien bar/still somewhere in this version of National City.

It also meant that Astra was totally plastered at the moment.

As Kara frantically thought up a way to explain who she was and where she was from, Astra suddenly took a step forward, frowning as she studied Kara

“Who are you?” she asked finally “you’re not Kara, that much is certain. So, who are you?”

Kara took a breath

“I _am_ Kara Zor-El,” she began “just not the Kara Zor-El from this Earth”

Astra frowned, blinking through the haze of alien alcohol

“Hmm,” she finally scoffed, taking another drink “I thought travel between parallel worlds was forbidden,” she muttered, shuffling on back to the couch “so, why are you here?” she asked

“Oh,” Kara blinked “right. Sorry. Uh, I was helping out a friend from this Earth” she explained

Astra frowned

“You crossed dimensions just to help a friend?” she asked “hmm, must be some friend”

“He is,” Kara agreed “but, anyway, I saw you back at the bar and…I followed you”

“Why would you do a thing like that?” Astra wondered “don’t you have an Aunt Astra on your Earth?”

Kara bit her lip

“Not anymore,” she admitted “I did, but…she died”

“Oh,” Astra blinked, looking like she wasn’t sure what to say to that “I’m sorry” she finally said

Kara nodded

“Thanks,” she took a breath “so…how did you get here?” she wondered “I mean is Krypton still around?”

Astra smirked bitterly

“No,” she scoffed “Krypton’s gone in both our worlds it seems”

“Oh,” Kara took a breath “so, I guess you came here with the rest of Fort Rozz?” she asked hesitantly

Astra looked up at her sharply

“Why would I be in Fort Rozz?” she asked, frowning “what exactly did my counterpart _do_ in your world?”

Kara blinked

“So…you never tried to use Myriad?” she asked

“Use what now?” Astra asked, looking confused

Kara found herself gapping slightly

“Whoa,” she breathed “OK, um, well, in my world you and Non found out about Krypton’s core being unstable,” she paused, seeing Astra nod “and you both tried to use something called ‘Myriad’ to try and save the planet”

“I’m going to guess that, whatever that was, it didn’t work” Astra smirked

“It was a form of…mind control basically,” Kara explained “and, no, it didn’t work, you were both arrested and sentenced to Fort Rozz, which later crashed on Earth with my pod”

Astra let out a low, impressed whistle

“Quite a story,” she remarked “well, here in my world, I did find out about the instability in Krypton’s core with Non,” she began “now, I don’t know what happened to your Astra, but here, Non and I quickly parted ways, he wanted a violent revolutionary overthrow of the government, and I tried to merely warn people about the danger we were all in,” she sighed “eventually, one night, Non came to my home. He’d tried to take control of one of the power stations in Argo City and killed a guard,” she shook her head “I had no choice but to arrest him then”

“So…how did you survive if you weren’t in Fort Rozz?” Kara wondered

Astra smirked

“Fortunately, your mother believed me, and she convinced your father to work with his brother to try and save at least some of our population,” she began “now, unfortunately, after Non’s attempted attack, the Council had tightened security. Jor-El and Lara were both caught and charged with misusing Council resources and censored”

“What happened to Kal-El?” Kara wondered

Again, Astra blinked

“Who?” she asked

“Uh, Jor-El and Lara’s son, my cousin” Kara explained

“You don’t have a cousin,” Astra explained “or, should I say, you don’t have one _here_ , that is. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. With Jor-El and Lara censored, Zor-El was left to complete his brother’s work in secret. He was only able to build one pod, and by then Krypton was crumbling all around us…,” she paused, a haunted expression crossing her face “your mother was supposed to go with you,” she began “but she felt that I would be better suited to protecting you here on Earth,” she shrugged “I guess I was, I found the Danvers only a few hours after we landed,” she frowned, looking up at Kara “do you know them?” she asked “the Danvers?”

Kara smiled

“I do,” she breathed “but, in my world, my pod was caught in the Phantom Zone, so when I finally landed, my cousin had already grown up and become Superman” she explained

“Super…man?” Astra repeated slowly “sounds like something out a comic book,” she frowned and looked Kara up and down “so what does that make you? Superwoman?”

“Oh, no, Supergirl, actually”

Astra scowled

“Oh, so your cousin becomes ‘Super _man_ ’, but you’re only ‘Super _girl_ ’?” she demanded “that is the most—”

“OK, OK!” Kara held up her hands “please don’t”

Astra chuckled

“Sorry,” she apologized “so, anyway, here we are,” she concluded “you got a degree in engineering and actually founded your own company, ‘Star Industries’, which is one of the greenest companies in the entire nation,” she leaned back with a sigh “so, what happened to me on your Earth?” she asked “you said I died, so…what happened?”

Kara sighed as she sank down next to her

“When Fort Rozz crashed, the prisoners all escaped,” she began “the government responded by creating an organization called the ‘DEO’, the ‘Department of Extra-normal Operations’. Anyway, Alex was recruited about two years before I came out as Supergirl, and after I did, I joined too,” she sighed “you meanwhile, tired to recreate Myriad on Earth, until… Alex killed you”

Astra paused, frowning, before she laughed bitterly

“Figures,” she spat, taking another drink “so, I take it then, that she and I were never married?”

Kara shook her head

“No,” she answered “what happened?” she asked “I saw the photos, you two looked so happy, so…what happened?” she wondered

Astra grunted and pulled out her phone, pulling up a video and then holding it out to Kara, what looked like a newscast playing

“ _…in other news, a local woman was fatally stabbed to death tonight. The victim, identified as twenty-eight year old Dr. Alexandra Danvers, was apparently walking home from Our Lady of Mercy Hospital when she was apparently encountered a man who fatally stabbed her. The killer, who was later apprehended by police, has been identified as thirty-year old Rick Malvern. Malvern was apparently an old high school friend of the victim—_ ”

Astra reached out, stopping the video

“How long ago was this?” Kara asked, feeling cold at the thought of anything happening to any version of Alex

“Two years ago,” Astra replied “about…ten, twelve years ago, soon after we arrived, a neighbor of Jeremiah’s and Eliza’s was killed in a break in. Alex apparently saw and could identify the killer—”

“Rick Malvern’s father,” Kara guessed “he blamed her for his father’s arrest”

Astra smirked bitterly

“I’m guessing something similar happened in your world”

“Something,” Kara replied, stamping down a shiver at the memories of Alex’s kidnapping. She shook her head “so, what happened?”

“Alex died,” Astra answered bluntly “and everything fell apart,” she sighed “Jeremiah died a few years after, from a broken heart no doubt, Eliza…well, we don’t talk much, she was never particularly pleased with her daughter marrying her sister’s aunt, to begin with”

“And…me?” Kara asked “er…the other me?”

Astra shrugged

“I don’t know. We haven’t spoken in…four? Five? Years”

Kara shook her head

“So, so…that’s it?” she demanded “you just sit around here doing nothing?”

“What else would have me do?” Astra whispered brokenly

Kara frowned as an idea suddenly popped into her head. A stupid, ill-conceived, kneejerk idea.

“Come back with me” she requested

Astra stared at her

“You mean to your Earth?” she asked, Kara nodded “why?”

“Because in my world, Alex never got the chance to be with you”

Astra snorted

“If what you said is true, then I don’t think she’s exactly head over heels for me. After all, you don’t say ‘I love you’ by killing the person you love”

Kara shook her head

“That’s only because she didn’t know that she was in love with you at the time!” she exclaimed “look, I don’t know how it happened here, but in my world, Alex finding out she was gay…well, it wasn’t pretty. She dated this cop for a while, and it just…it was a mess, let’s leave it at that,” she reached out and took Astra’s hands “Astra, _please_ ,” she pleaded “this isn’t living, you know that. If Mother were here, I’m sure she’d tell you the same thing”

Astra was silent for a long moment

“How do we do this?” she finally asked

“It’s easy,” Kara grinned, holding up the inter-dimensional extrapolator “seriously, it’s like…flying from here to Metropolis”

“To where?” Astra asked

Kara blinked

“Metrop—you know, Daily Planet, Lois…Lane…,” she trailed off as Astra continued staring at her in confusion “right,” she muttered “different Earth,” she shook her head “anyway, if you want to come back, you can, easy,” she activated the device, watching as the swirling whirlpool opened “come on” she invited…


	2. On the Other Side

******

**Earth Thirty-Eight…**

Alex pushed Kara’s apartment door open with a sigh

“Come on, Kara, I’ve got _work_ to do,” she exclaimed “what’s so important that you couldn’t…tell…me…over…the…,” she trailed off and lapsed into stunned silence as she took in the sight before her “Kara…?” she questioned

“OK, before you say anything—” Kara tried

“Kara! _What the fuck?!?!?_ ”

“…keep calm,” Kara finished with a wince “OK!” she gripped both of Alex’s shoulders “breathe!”

Alex shakily sucked in a gulp of air as she took in the sight of…Astra standing in the room, looking just as shocked as Alex felt. Still feeling lightheaded, she turned to Kara

“It’s not Astra,” Kara explained “er…well, she’s not ‘our’ Astra, I should say”

“What?” Alex demanded

“You remember a few months ago, when we went to help my friend Barry out?” Kara began

Alex took a deep breath

“Kara…,” she began “are you saying that she’s from a parallel universe?”

“I am, yes,” Astra spoke up. She took a cautious step forward “hello, Alex,” she greeted softly. She glanced up at Kara “could you give us a moment alone, please?” she requested

Kara nodded

“Yeah, sure, of course” still looking between the two women, she slowly slipped out of the room. Leaving them alone

“Would you like to sit down?” Astra offered

Alex grunted as she awkwardly sat down. Astra sighed

“I’m sorry, Kara told me about my counterpart,” she began “I’m not like her, Alex, I don’t want to hurt _anyone_ , least of all you”

“I believe you,” Alex nodded, and she did, this woman was definitely not the Astra she knew. There was no madness in her eye, grief yes, but not like the kind that Astra had held “so...,” Alex began “why did she bring you here?”

“I…don’t really know,” Astra admitted softly “trying to play matchmaker I would assume”

“Matchmaker?” Alex echoed. She stopped, confused when Astra quietly held out a photograph, staring at the image of herself and Astra in wedding dresses

“We were married for nearly three years” Astra explained softly

“Were?” Alex questioned, finding herself falling into those haunted grey-green eyes all over again

“You died,” Astra whispered “you were murdered by some little cretin with daddy issues” she growled

“I don’t understand” Alex shook her head

Astra sighed as she awkwardly joined Alex on the couch

“Kara told me about your Earth,” she began “in my world, there is no ‘Superman’, no ‘DEO’, and Fort Rozz never crashed here. The only thing that crashed was a Kryptonian pod carrying myself and Kara,” she explained “I never created ‘Myriad’, and the only thing illegal I do is staging protest rallies against big polluters”

Alex sighed as she stared at the photograph

“You look happy here” she finally said

“We were” Astra nodded

“I’m sorry” Alex apologized, impulsively reaching out to give Astra’s arm a comforting squeeze. She watched as Astra tensed, before suddenly standing up again

“This was a mistake, I’m sorry” she apologized in a rush

“Wait!” Alex reached out and grabbed her arm “look,” she began “I don’t know what Kara’s like in your world, but here…she means well, and she may not go about it in the best way, but…if she thought that bringing you here was a good idea, that probably means that it was” impulsively, she slowly traced her hand up Astra’s arm towards her shoulder, slowly pulling her close

“Alex…,” Astra whispered “you’re not her”

“I know,” Alex whispered back, getting lost in those sad eyes “and I’m never going to _be_ her,” she continued “but…I’m willing to be yours, if you want me”

She watched as Astra’s face broke and she suddenly pulled Alex close, burying her face in her shoulder, quietly sobbing…


	3. Epilogue

******

It wasn’t immediate. Astra was still uncertain of her place on this Earth, Alex knew, but she seemed to find a place at the DEO, offering to help once she saw how bad things were, with rogue Fort Rozz escapees still running around and Cadmus rearing its ugly head every now and then.

Naturally, J’onn was a little perplexed when Alex and Kara showed up with Astra in tow and announced that she was from another universe. Astra was even more perplexed when everyone in the room drew a gun on her, but seemed to be acclimating fairly easily, she still ‘popped over’ to her Earth to visit Other Kara, who Alex had to admit was a bit of bitch, very bossy and arrogant.

In time, with Astra on their side they started to gain ground against both Cadmus and the Fort Rozz escapees, many of whom would often surrender upon just _seeing_ Astra, much to her confusion and Alex and Kara’s amusement.

Eventually, a year had passed since she’d arrived in this Earth, and in that time Alex had stopped thinking of her as ‘Other Astra’ and simply as ‘Astra’.

“Tell me about her,” Astra asked one night as they lounged on the fire escape watching the stars “your Astra”

Alex sighed

“She was…strong, confident, honorable,” she shook her head “if she’d only _listened_ to me,” she sighed. She shook her head “what about ‘your’ Alex?” she wondered “what was she like?”

“Beautiful,” Astra breathed “strong, dedicated. She truly believed in helping people. With her credentials she could have worked at any hospital in the city, in the world even. Instead, she chose a small urgent care center in a bad neighborhood, determined that _everyone_ should get help, no matter who they were”

“She sounds lovely” Alex whispered

“She was,” Astra nodded “much like you,” she added. Shifting, she turned to face Alex, softly cupping her face as she slowly leaned “you can stop me if you want” she whispered

“Never,” Alex whispered back as their lips touched in an achingly soft kiss. Pulling back, Astra frowned. Alex cupped her cheek, smiling “I’m not going to try and be her, Astra,” she explained “but, like I said, I’m willing to just be yours”

Astra smiled shyly at that

“I’d like that” she whispered as she leaned in for another kiss…

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so, for those of who are wondering where this came from, here's basically what happened. When I first saw "World's Finest" I started thinking, just because Barry didn't recognize Kara as Supergirl doesn't mean that she doesn't exist on Earth-One, just that she doesn't exist _as_ Supergirl, and then when I heard about the Earth-X version of both Kara and Winn, that just reinforced the idea, so I got to thinking: if there was a world with an evil alternate Kara? What about a world with a good alternate Astra? One where she never created Myriad? And so this fic was born
> 
> Finally, if you're wondering _where_ this takes place in the overall timeline, I'll leave it up to you, it could take place after the Earth-X crossover (which I didn't bother watching, because I'm tired of Nazis) or after some imaginary crossover, your pick! :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
